Electrically-illuminated character for advertising



(No Model.) A. D. PAGE.

ELEGTRIGALLY ILI IUMINATED CHARACTER FOR ADVERTISING. m so sss. Patented July 18, 1893. 397 Q82F ff '4 a I 6 5 a 7 s 13 Q i LI- I I G Avg:

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.-

ALMON 1). PAGE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRICALLY-ILLUMINATED CHARACTER FOR ADVERTlSlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 501,533, dated July 18, 1893.

Application filed June 10, 1852.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMON D. PAGE, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electrically-Illuminated Oharacters for Advertising, 850., of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for supporting incandescent lamps, and especially lamps, arranged in pre-determined order to form the outline of letters or other characters. for making signs, for advertising or for similar purposes.

The main object ofthe invention is to provide means for thus supporting the lamps which shall thoroughly exclude water from i the bases of the lamps, from the sockets andfrom the wires leading thereto, and to provide a strong. and simple construction of box or casing for the sockets and otherdevices, each box being preferably inthe form of a letter or character; and the invention consists in certain other features hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims. r

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a faceview of one letter made according to this invention, the lamps and shields being; omitted except at the extremities of the upperbar of the letter, where lamps and shields are shown in place. Fig. 2 is a cross-section, on line 00-00 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction in dicated by the arrow, and on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a view, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, of a section of a letter showing a hand hole therein; and Fig. 4. is a view of a washer, to be described.

In carrying out this invention, I make sheet metal or other boxes or casings, in the form of the letters or characters desired, a letter E being shown in the drawings, this letter being taken merely as an illustration.

In practice complete alphabets with duplicate letters will be provided so that any desired words can be set up. Numerals and other characters will also be provided. These letters or characters can be supported side by; side to form words, '&c., by any suitable means, each letter beingpreferably separately removable. I prefer for this purpose to provide rods or pipes a, supported at a distance Serial No.436 2l0. (No model.)

Around the casing, ona line with the outer.

e es of the sides 2, are placed wooden strips and to these strips the cover is secured by thumb-screws or other devices 5 and washers 6. The st rips also serve to strengthen the box. Between the cover and the strips 4 are placed rubber orother suitable packing strips S to make a tight joint, and, if desired, the cover may be bent so as to overlap the sides 2.

The cover is provided with as many holes 7 as there are to be lamps to form the outline of the character. The cover illustrated has fourteen such holes. If the character were a period, for example, a single hole only would be necessary. On the outside of the cover, over each of these holes, is placed a sheet metal shield 8, this being preferably semi-circular, as shown in Fig. 1, and having aflange 9 soldered or otherwise securedto,

the cover. The shield, preferably, is large enough so that a lamp L can be screwed into place without actually touching it, and projects forward over or beyond the largest-diameter of the lamp globe. On the inside of the cover, around the holes 7, are placed tapart of each sleeve forms a channel below the,

lamp by which water which finds its way in thus far will be conducted to the outside of the box. It is evidently not necessary that this device should be a complete sleeve, al-

though that form is preferred. In line with these openings 11 are an equal number of innectedto the wires of the supply cireuit.

O'nthe lower part of the lamp globe but above the lamp base is or may be placed a tapering sheet metal sleeve la, with aflaring end 15. This sleeve is secured in placeon the lamp by a suitable cement, such as litharge. Instead of the sleeve 14 a flexible asbestus or other washer W fitting onto the neck of the lamp may be used, and in some cases neither of these devices may be necessary.

When the parts described are put together so that they occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 2, the lower portions of the lamps, the sockets and all of the circuit connections are tightly inclosed and protected within the water-tight boxes or casings comprising the letters or characters. Any water that falls onto the lamps will drop off without running into the casing, and if rain should be driven under the shields 8 by the wind,it

will not pass into the box far enough to do injury.

The covers or outer sides of the boxes or 1 casings on which the lamps are arranged will,

preferably, be suitably colored, so that they can be utilized as ordinary signs during the daytime, and the lamps will, preferably, be i of the same color as said covers or sides, for

example, the covers may be painted red, and In this manner,

boxes and allowing the spherical part of the globes only to project, the appearance of the letters is much improved.

The circuit connections used may be of any desired character, but when ordinary sixteen candle power lamps are used they will generall y be used in simple multiple are: when miniature lamps are used they may be connected in multiple series. The preferred circuit connections are indicated in Fig. 3, in which 16 is a supply circuit connected to the wire in the letter through ordinary cut-out devices, as indicated at 17. 18 is a hand hole through which the cut-out block 17 can be reached. The cover 19 is in place in Fig. 1 but is removed in Fig. 3.

It is evident that the details of construction and the shapes of the several parts may be varied considerably without departing from the invention. While it is preferred to make an entire letter of one box, this is not essential. Some of the features described may be used without having the boxes in the form of letters or characters, as will be evident without detailed description. Circuit changing apparatus such as described in my application, Serial No. 432,964, filed May 14, 1892, may be used to flash the lights forming the letters if desired.

What I claim is- 1. The combination of a box having an opening or openings in a side thereof, an equal number of sockets on the opposite side of the box and in line with the opening or openings, said openings and sockets being adapted to receive lamps, and'means for preventing entrance of water through said opening or openings to the sockets and devices in the box, substantially as described.

2. The combination of abox in the form of a letter or character, adapted to be used alone or with other letters or characters for advertising or similar purposes, the box having openings in a side thereof, an equal number of sockets on the opposite side of the box and in line with the openings, the openings and sockets being adapted to receive lamps, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a box in the form of a letter or character, adapted to be used alone or with other letters or characters for advertising or similar purposes, the box having openings in a side thereof, an equal number of sockets on the opposite side of the box and in line with the openings, the' openings and sockets being adapted to receive lamps, and means for preventing entrance of water through said openings to the sockets and devices in the box, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a box in the form of a letter or character, adapted to be used alone or with other letters or characters for advertising or similar purposes, the box having openings in a side thereof, an equalnumber of sockets on the opposite side of the box and in line with the openings, the openings and sockets being adapted to receive lamps, and sheet metal shields at one side of the openings for preventing entrance of water, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a box in the form of a letter or character, adapted to be used alone or with other letters or characters for adver tising or similar purposes, the box having openings in a side thereof, an equal number of sockets on the opposite side of the box and in line with the openings, the openings and sockets being adapted to receive lamps, sheet metal shields at one side of the openings, and sleeves or channels on the inner face of the side having openings and in a position to prevent water, finding its way under the shields, from reaching the circuit connections in the box, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a box having an opening or openings in a side or cover thereof, a socket in line with each opening and adapted to receive a lamp and to connect the same to a circuit, sleeves on the inner face of said side or cover around each opening, and a lamp for each opening having on it a ring adapted to stand within said sleeve, said lamps projecting through the openings into the sockets,

substantially as described.

7. The combination, in a device for supportingincandescent electric lamps, of a box or casing having one or more openings in a side thereof, means for supporting incandescent electric lamps in said openings so that a portion of each lamp projects from the box, and shields over or at one side of the openings, substantially as described.

8. A letter or character adapted for use alone or with other characters, for advertising and similar purposes, consisting of a box or casing in the form of such letter or character, lamps extending through openings in one side of said box or casing and so arranged as to form the outline of the letteror character, and.

supporting the lamps, substantially} as described. 7 v

10. The combination, in a letter or character of the nature indicated, of a sheet metal box or casing, strips of Wood or similar material secured in the box along the edge, and a cover for the box having openings in suitable order for receiving the lamps, substantially as described.

11. A box or casing in the form of a letter or character, having openings in a side or cover thereof, means for supporting lamps in said openings,and cut-out devices in the lamp circuit in the box, there being a hand hole to give access to said cut-out devices, substantially as described.

This specification slgned and vvitnessed this 9th day. of June, 1892. v

ALMON D.-PAGE, Witnessesz.

CHARLES M. CATLIN, GEORGE E. BUCHANAN. 

